Fall decluttering and clean-up time

We spent a lot of time this weekend tidying the house. What a sense of relief it brings. We do this every few months, and each time I wonder why it’s so hard to just keep it this way. We wouldn’t have to go into such a frenzy every few months if we could just maintain.

And yet it’s so hard to do. I know we’re not the only household struggling with clutter. In fact, ours is minimal compared to some – but that’s all the more reason we ought to be able to stay on top of it. This weekend we tackled every single upstairs room plus the dreaded paperwork basket in the kitchen. Now every surface is clear, every book and toy and game put away in its place, every piece of clothing folded or hung. For now.

Each of us has our own particular tidiness pitfall, I’ve noticed. Holly is the worst, but as Rick and I both acknowledge, it really is the flip side of her endearing creativity. Holly is always up to her elbows in projects and imaginary games, each of which requires a complicated inventory of props. The pile of shredded paper on the floor? That’s the money from when she was playing Farmers Market. The array of books on the treadmill? She was a teacher hosting a visit from a famous author who came to talk to her class of (imaginary) first graders. The jumble of barrettes and jewelry on the rug? The remnants of last weekend’s spa game, when she and Samantha bathed and groomed their stuffed animals. Yes, she makes a mess wherever she goes – but it’s so hard for me to discourage her from any of her pretending or games. And as for making clean-up part of the process as she plays…it makes sense, but it’s just so hard to enforce.

Tim doesn’t play imaginary games or anything much at all; he’s usually either reading or using his computer during his leisure time. So there’s no clutter of toys trailing in his wake. With him, it’s clothes. He sheds clothes and leaves them in piles on the floor, and his bureau drawers are always mysteriously stuffed to the gills, making it difficult to put things away quickly. It’s not like he wears such a wide variety of clothes; his drawers just fill up with an accumulation of baseball pants, t-shirts, sweatshirts, until there’s no room for anything. And once he’s done his homework, practiced his trumpet and taken a shower, I often don’t have the heart to insist that he wrestle his clean clothes back into his bureau drawers. But I know I should.

For me, it’s paperwork. Clippings to file in my portfolio, invitations awaiting an RSVP, receipts to enter into our electronic checkbook, catalogs to peruse, letters and forms from the kids’ school, notices from church. I’ve read so many books on how to stay on top of clutter, and almost all of them have a chapter devoted to paperwork, but so far none of the techniques have stuck. I sort and pile, sort and pile, and the papers never seem to go anywhere.

Rick is the most well-rounded member of the family regarding mess. He leaves socks around, but not other articles of clothing. He leaves drinking glasses near his computer and bowls of sunflower seeds by the TV. He reads the newspaper and never remembers to bring it out to the recycling. No single category: a little of this, a little of that.

And then every few months, both of us throw ourselves into clearing it all up.
I always feel so relieved and so rejuvenated when we’re done. Right now, I look around the house – my office, the kids’ rooms, the mudroom – and see tidily arranged items and clean surfaces. It brings me such peace of mind that I cannot explain why I then let it lapse. Over the summer, I interviewed a feng shui expert for an article I was writing. “The first step in feng shui is to declutter,” she said, and then went on to describe all the subsequent steps: the ones for welcoming in positive energy, repelling negativity, and so forth. I couldn’t help thinking that for me, step one would be enough: just give me the decluttering and all the rest, the positive energy, the absence of stress, the peace of mind, will follow.

So for the next few days, I have just that: serenity and mental peace. My house is neat, and tomorrow our house cleaner comes to do the cleaning part of it. I will celebrate the serenity and remind myself every evening to maintain the tidiness. I’ll start with trying to keep the floors clear of clutter, and work my way up vertically. And maybe I’ll reform this family yet.